Martbids Database: farmers and exporters clash in battle for cattle

The mart trade has hit more highs this week, with some big showdowns taking place between farmers and exporters.

Farmers are out in force to try to get ahead of the grass trade, which always adds some spice to the trade.

Such is the trade at the moment, I’m not sure how much more spice the trade can take without things turning sour at some point.

The best price I saw this week was €1,600 paid for three weanlings weighing 303kg (two Charolais and a Simmental) in Ennis Mart - that’s €5.28/kg.

Another big price paid in Ennis on Tuesday was €1,510 for eight March 2024-born Hereford-cross bullocks weighing 332kg.

Clare Marts general manager Martin McNamara described the trade as electric, with weanlings hitting €5/kg on several occasions during the sale.

“I have finishers getting over €3,000/head for finished cattle at the moment, so they see a weanling at €1,600 as being alright. Weanlings were up about €300/head on the same sale in 2024.”

While farmers are out in force, exporters also remain very active.

It wasn’t the only place where €5/kg was hit, with Elphin Mart also seeing a serious trade for bull weanlings on Monday night.

Farmers drove the trade here again, with mart manager Ciaran Lynch saying the increased factory returns is filtering down to the weanling and store trade.

The Shorthorn Express livestock carrier was loaded this week in Greenore with another load of store cattle and weanlings. This is the first shipment of many that will take place in the next few months with huge appetite from north Africa for cattle.

Taking a look at this week’s Martbids analysis table, it tells another positive story for the trade. Heifers took a massive jump with the biggest increases in the top-quality bracket.

Top-quality heavy heifers weighing over 600kg came in up 55c/kg this week to €4.19/kg.

Heavy bullocks didn’t show as much gain, with the top-quality category actually down 10c/kg on last week.

Top-quality weanling bulls in the 300kg to 400kg weight bracket came in at €4.30/kg this week on the back of big exporter demand.

Top-quality weanling heifers in the same weight bracket came in at €4.19/kg, a similar price to last week. Average-quality heifers in the same weight bracket came in at €3.61/kg this week.

Marts are reporting calf numbers a little slower than last year in terms of numbers coming out. The tough spring of 2024 has meant some dairy farmers opted to push forward commencement of calving by seven to 10 days.

The trade has started off in its usual flying form, with some very big prices being paid for two- to three-week-old calves.

Up to €400/head has been paid on a fairly regular basis over the last week or so for good-quality continental and even some traditional-bred calves.

While weanlings and beef cattle are a super trade, you are a long way from selling a two-week-old calf for beef and a lot could happen in between, including an easing of the current good beef price.